So, I'm getting ready to go to Florida for a few days. Bring my Wouxon KG-UV6D in and toss it on the bed to remind me to charge it before I leave, go put a load of laundry in, come back, and, well, my Buster has taken to cuddling up to it!

So, I'm getting ready to go to Florida for a few days. Bring my Wouxon KG-UV6D in and toss it on the bed to remind me to charge it before I leave, go put a load of laundry in, come back, and, well, my Buster has taken to cuddling up to it!

Wonder if he made any QSO's while you were gone?

BC always knew what a suitcase meant. As soon as it came out he wanted to get in it, but more than that, his demeanor would change. He would get so "clingy".

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Addicted to all things radio for nearly 50 years, and proud of it!

For Sure Jim of Course with old Dog he would be Laying on the Key Board instead of just walking by that way him would get the Full attention! of Me i can remember back to when i was at a younger age and was on the floor watching Tv "chip's" or some 80's sitcom Turd would come up to me give me the head rub and then he would craw up Under my chest. And he'd stay there till i got up and moved or i'd go and get a piece of cheese that cat loved his cheese.. it didn't matter if it was Craft single's or Cheetos we had to share or get the raff of the Cat..

I don't have cats anymore. I had lived outside of the towns for 10+ years prior to moving into the big city (8,000 people) and into a condo in town that didn't have the rodent problems I had previously. I lost kitties to coyotes, owls and hawks. It was pretty tough when a cat wouldn't come home. The last two cats I had were survivors and I had them for more than 10 years with about half of that in the big city.

When I lived in New Mexico a few miles out of town at the ranger station compound I needed the cats to kill rattlesnakes, which were abundant in the area. We had a fine mesh screen that had been buried 4 feet underground and extended 2 feet up the perimeter fence. We had two entrances/exits with cattle guards. On the leading edge (entrance or outside side) a rod was installed and hooked up to an electric fence charger. Energy was pulsed into the rod and anything that touched the rod and the first railing of the cattle guard simultaneously made the connection. If I remember right the charge was 20,000 volts and less than a 10th of an amp. It gave you a very jolting shock, but wasn't lethal. I accidently touched the rod and rail once when I was changing a battery in the charger.

The only time I saw rattlers inside the compound was when a battery failed. It was in March so the snakes were not very active. Someone else shot one with a .22 snake load and my cat killed the other. Cats get and stay behind the one blind spot a snake has, 180 degrees from the tip of its head. They jump into the air to avoid a strike and each time they come down they bite the snake behind its head. They do this until the snake dies. I was blown away when my cat killed one. I came into work the next day and told everyone, including engine crew members and other ground pounders. They all looked at me as if I was a bit crazy because they replied "well why do you think we have cats!"

I have a comment about the previous pictures, which were all excellent. The most important reason a cat chooses the place they are at is they are "connoisseurs of comfort." They find the place with the ideal temperature, wind, sunlight and softness. They move about a house a few times a day or more to find those find spots that meet their criteria. When I came home from work in the winter and lit up the wood stove they would lay on the top landing of the stairs and as the house heated up they would move down the stairs one at a time to lay until the house was fully heated at which time they laid down on the floor, couches or chairs. The next reason is they want to see what is going on because they think they are in control. Following that, when they want attention, they don't always want to admit it due to their pride, independence and need to feel they are in control. They put themselves in places where you are going to or have to pay attention to them because they are in the way. Even the most friendly and loveable cat I ever had, Leonardo (Len, Leo, Leonard or Lee depending on who was paying attention to him), would put himself somewhere in the way if he wasn't getting the level of attention he wanted. After dinner I would usually go to my home office to pay bills, etc before settling down to watch some TV or read a book. When I went to my desk he would be laying on the seat or on top of papers on the desk. If I kicked him off the desk or chair he knew my next spot was the recliner downstairs where the TV or a book was my next activity. He knew that when I brushed my teeth my next location was in bed so he would place himself on my pillow. He wanted so much attention he would walk across the street to the entrance of our small hospital during visiting hours and scam attention to everyone going in and out of the door.

My other cat was named "Anthony" named in reaction to my nephew of that name who named the family dog after me. He was part Siamese and more aloof, but still wanted attention so he learned from Leonardo how to scam. He was shy so he didn't go over to the hospital, although he had a purr that was so loud it could have been heard from there.

Both of them were very good "mousers" and left body parts on the front steps so I realized it. They didn't have many mice to catch when I moved 55 miles south to the big city, so they would go to the closest parcel of National Forest land, about 200 feet from the front porch and go after ground squirrels. They are an invading predators so I tried to discourage that activity.

I never took a picture, but Leonardo would lay on top of my HF receiver when he needed more heat and in front of the controls when I wanted to do a little DXing. I'm a map nerd with a large collection and when I would spread out a large map he always laid on it, but just in the sections I was looking at. He would lay and stretch, roll around and flick his tail back and forth. The look on his face was "who me? I really don't need attention."

When I started dating the woman who has been my wife of nearly 20 years I had to adopt the cats out to my sister. Things got very serious with her in a remarkably short time. My wife is allergic to cats, so after the cats were gone I had the condo professionally cleaned. Otherwise she couldn't come to my place and I was in love (still am), so that was not acceptable. I wanted her around all the time, but I missed those cats. Later on we inherited my father in law's cocker spaniel. When dogs want attention they are very direct about it. No aloofness and no pride to swallow. The look on their faces is one of needing sympathy. If they aren't getting enough attention they lay somewhere you have to pass at a choke point in your house such as the bottom of stairs, doorways, the entrance to the kitchen or they just stay underfoot and demand it.

I love the look labs have on their faces when they pick up the green tennis ball and sit with it in your view . They don't look you in the eye, they try to look nonchalant and their faces are saying "who me? The tennis ball, do I have a tennis ball? Well that doesn't mean much, but it's here so please play retrieve with me." Others slobber all over the ball and push it into your hand. Some pick up anything you can throw when you go into the back yard. Some pick up the ball or stick, bring it to you and then don't let go. What's with that?

They require a lot of attention and can be a pain in the butt, but dogs, cats and small children provide us comic relief and are so interesting to observe.

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God invented cops so firefighters can have heroes, firefighters so cops can keep their uniforms clean and EMS to have people intelligent enough to use big words-tachycardia, diaphoretic . .

ExSmokey i know what you mean by jumping up in the Air my Siamese Spunky could do just that). my Dad was playing with spunk one morning on our back porch he went in the kitchen for a Drink of water and was coming back to the porch, Dad was setting in his Law type chair and had his feet on this step stool and spunk Came up to the edge of step stool and Dad Just moved that stool just a Hair and went speet and i'll tell ya i never seen a Cat Jump straight up and as hi as he did and have such a bushed out Tail.. You can see a picture of spunk if you go to the first part of the Thread along with my Cat Turd we had Turd for 16 years till he past away in 1998.. we had spunky for 6 years..

I've been trying to remember why a cat named BC is so familiar to me. So I put it out of my mind and it just popped up out of nowhere. BC was the name of a cat that is famous among one limited group of people. That group consisted of the employees, past and present, that knew "Bodie Cat." Bodie is one of the best ghost towns in the country and it is a state park located in Mono County, California at an elevation over 8,000 feet. It is the coldest state park in the state's system. Mono is a native American word pronounced "mow no," not "mah no." I say this just in case you visit this county that is on the eastern border of Yosemite National Park that is in a two county region called the Eastern Sierra. Inyo County, to our south has the tallest mountain in the lower 48 states and Death Valley National Park, the largest park in the lower 48.

Now back to "BC" and his legend. People sometimes leave their animals at Ranger Stations after hours. We think this is the origin of BC. I say we because my first wife was on the seasonal staff there for 2-3 years and I spent nights in the employee housing a night or two a week in the summer. I was also a fellow public land manager and there was a social group that lived in the country seat of Bridgeport and in the Mono Lake Basin to the south. If you were in a natural resource job there was a group you sooner or later joined. BC knew the town and knew how to enter building that had valuable historical objects. These buildings were quite secure with door alarms and interior motion alarms. BC got inside most of these buildings and we didn't know how. He didn't set off the motion alarms and we couldn't figure that out as well. He lived about 20 years and was seen going to and fro all over the park. He never had an early demise as a result of coyotes and never attacked the threatened sage grouse that called the Bodie Basin home. People left food out for him and found bowls empty in the morning, but never saw him eat. He avoided a famous Bodie dog with the nickname "Lips." Lips was a big boxer that when the park was closed to the public the ranger in charge would let him out of his house. Lips would run all over the park at breakneck speed for at least ten minutes. As he ran his muzzle would flap in the wind he created, and like most boxers, was slobbery and the slobber would fly in the air, sometimes reaching distances not thought possible.

So here was this mysterious and allusive cat and no one knew how he got to Bodie. Late at night sometimes we would go into some of the buildings. It was a bit spooky at night as people I know and trust had allegedly seen some ghosts. One ranger totally dismissed the possibility and made that known frequently. He was asked to stay overnight in the old hotel on the second floor where the only entry/exit was locked with a huge chain and padlock. He agreed to stay locked up overnight. When he was allowed to leave in the morning he refused to talk about his night and never spoke about ghosts again. He was reported to look pretty grey in the face when he was let out. Employees had reported seeing a ghost or ghosts there for years prior and some people who didn't work the same years, didn't know or speak to each other, but gave descriptions that were consistent with what others had reported.

So one building I liked to visit was the old general store. It had a large brick room with two huge iron doors. A fire proof storeroom is what is was. Since the state has never built a proper visitor center there the treasures of the town are stored in this room and the public doesn't get to see the objects. The first time I went in I was among books, clothes on hangers in plastic bags, but clear ones making it easy to look at them. A lot of books, tools, maps and housewares were also stored in there. A single lightbulb hanging on a cord from the ceiling. The first time BC got in while we were there scared the crap out of me. I could hear something moving around in the front of the store and had purposely not been told that BC could get inside the store. I was alone with only the single bulb for light that was dim enough in the storeroom and completely ineffective in the front of the store. I closed everything up, reset the alarms, locked the door and ran back to employee housing where I shared my experience. I got blank looks until the giggles started and I was, for the first time, told of BC. He wasn't totally feral as he would approach us and do the leg rub, but didn't often let anyone pet him. You had to be "owned" by BC before that was a possibility.

I've lost touch with the staff of Bodie State Park since then due to me transferring to another National Forest. Most of the people I worked with have now retired too. I'm not as close, Bodie is now 50 miles or more distant and it used to be only 12. I'm sure BC is not alive, but his legend will endure for many years to come. Then again maybe his ghost wanders in the buildings. "But the cat came back the very next day. Yes, the cat came back. They thought he was a goner, but the cat came back. He just wouldn't stay away."

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God invented cops so firefighters can have heroes, firefighters so cops can keep their uniforms clean and EMS to have people intelligent enough to use big words-tachycardia, diaphoretic . .

A Jim with old Dog him could control anybodies mind that walked through our doors that black coat and that Panther Walk.. And if that didn't have your total attention! The picture the one were he's on his back that usually would get the deed done he loved to have his belly rubbed.. and if you didn't pay attention to him he got your attention rather quickly.. i just wished he was here to get that attention again, i got tear in my eye maybe that's him getting my attention.. you think

A Jim with old Dog him could control anybodies mind that walked through our doors that black coat and that Panther Walk.. And if that didn't have your total attention! The picture the one were he's on his back that usually would get the deed done he loved to have his belly rubbed.. and if you didn't pay attention to him he got your attention rather quickly.. i just wished he was here to get that attention again, i got tear in my eye maybe that's him getting my attention.. you think

Listen, Ra, I still get a tear in my eye over my beloved dog, Sam, who passed in 1977! He was a Collie mix and he had a great personality and was very smart.

These critters insinuate themselves into our hearts and they never leave!

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Addicted to all things radio for nearly 50 years, and proud of it!

Totally get how any furry friend is a family member: we had our Pom/Chi mix Butchie until he was 18, having adopted him at 2. He went camping and hiking with us in all sorts of weather, was the ring-bearer when we got married, and loved being a part of our lives. We had him euthanized after his 2nd seizure hit him pretty hard, and I still miss him dearly.

3 weeks after we lost Butchie, I woke to find my 7-year-old MinPin Liesl dead in her crate. She had been having liver issues that were being successfully treated for over a year, but I think she passed from internal bleeding. Thankfully she spent the whole evening before she diesld with me either in my lap or behind my head on the couch. MAN, those 2 losses took a long time to recover from, and I still have a tough time with it, even though it happened 3 years ago...

The dog my wife and I inherited from her dad was this cute little, black and white cocker spaniel named Daisy. She was so cute and her walking gait was sort of funny that when I walked her people in cars would turn their heads and smile. She was a complete lover. We probably held on about a week too long and it was gut wrenching for my wife to take her to the vet to put her down. I couldn't do it and had to work that day anyway. My wife took a friend that helped her get through it. The vet and his wife were wonderful and empathetic. I miss having her underfoot and showing us her belly first thing in the morning. We would rub it and she would start snorting deeply, reminding me of a cat's purr.

My nickname for her was "little Daisy McDougal." We abbreviated that to "the doogs." She sniffed more when we walked her than any other dog I've seen. She had a curved back that made her even more cute. Her hips were higher than her shoulders. We called her the "sneezy, sniffy, snorty, swayback little dog." I'm amazed at how we all treat and talk to our animals, especially the little ones.

I had some affection for the horses we rode on each ranger district I worked on, especially when I rode frequently on the Bridgeport Ranger District in California. I liked to ride "Pokey" because you didn't have to battle her for domination every second you were on her. She was slow, but could walk 30 more miles a day. She trailered easily and did not breath in when you tightened the saddle under her belly. Her problem was she could fall asleep while she was walking and once I fell asleep riding her when she did. I woke up because I was riding her down a road between the trailhead and where I parked when she started walking through brush. It was a 12 hour day with a 30+ mile ride. I woke up to find us about 5 feet from a barb wire fence and closing fast. I jumped up in the saddle and pulled hard on the reins and when she woke up too we had a mild rodeo.

If I needed speed I rode "Pal," who was this huge Palomino gelding. He was so big that riding him caused a lot of leg pain, especially in the knees, because you could not bend your legs around him. He was "spirited" and you had to battle for control nearly every minute. He was not a horse for beginners. He was a difficult patrol horse because he didn't want to stop to allow you to pick up litter or get down on the ground to talk with hikers. He was not only big but really tall so you have to remember to "get off your high horse" for visitor contacts, but he would pull on the reins and make a fuss the whole time. He overreacted to some situations every once in awhile and the rodeos that followed could be a bit scary, but he never launched me out of the saddle. Having a rodeo start when you are on a trail on a steep hillside with a sharp drop off to a roaring river is scarier than having one in a corral.

Then their was "Bucky" and she was 32 years old. Good horse that started to slow down in her final years. I didn't ride her because I thought she was past retirement age. We got along famously in the corral area though. One of my employees was riding her one day and she died right on the trail. Died with her saddle on, what a way to go. Disposing of the carcass was a challenge. We came up with a innovative solution and other than numerous hikers complaining of a strong odor near the trail where she died, it worked quite well. I will let you use your imagination.

Just like dogs and cats you can start a bond with horses by scratching their ears. Just like the smaller animals though, some don't like it. I found that to be small number of small and large animals. I would stop by the corrals and pasture to scratch Pokey's ears now and again.. She was much easier to catch in the morning as a result. She ran to me when I showed up. Some carrots and apples were helpful also. A few bites of molasses mixed oats also helped. She became my bud and even though people laughed at me for riding her so much, we had a thing between us She was, after all, the best patrol horse I ever rode. The public loved her as well. After petting her many people listened to me better. I transferred from that ranger district to one 55 miles south. I heard later that she had died. I miss that horse too, even though she had "USFS" branded on her hip.

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God invented cops so firefighters can have heroes, firefighters so cops can keep their uniforms clean and EMS to have people intelligent enough to use big words-tachycardia, diaphoretic . .